NASA's GOLD (Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk) mission has uncovered that X-shaped plasma forms can be seen in Earth's Ionosphere—without the need for a Solar Storm—to produce such forms, thereby overthrowing the long-held view that they only occur during severe geomagnetic activity.
Today at an announcement from NASA, they confirmed that GOLD has observed such structures in the Ionosphere at heights of 50 to 400 miles above the planet during times when there was little to no Space Weather impact on the Earth.
Since it was believed that X-Forms were created by Major Solar Flares or Geomagnetically Active Areas, today's announcement has altered our current understanding of how these types of structures arise within the Ionosphere.
🔍 Why Is This Discovery Important?
Changing the Ionospheric Dynamics—The complexities of structures being created within the Ionosphere, even without significant Space Weather, imply that there are more than just Solar Activity and Geomagnetic Storms affecting the upper atmosphere; therefore, we must examine related models that may be applied differently than currently understood.